


saline in the wound

by ThatOneGaySlytherin



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Future Fic, M/M, Marriage, Meet the Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-04
Updated: 2019-07-04
Packaged: 2020-06-03 19:33:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19470685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatOneGaySlytherin/pseuds/ThatOneGaySlytherin
Summary: Asher is tired of not knowing who Cal's parents are. So he takes matters into his own hands, which lands him and his boyfriend at dinner with said parents. Cal is on high defense, but Asher can't understand why. Until he can.Or:Percico have a post-college-aged son with an impulsive but good-intentioned boyfriend!





	saline in the wound

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by a post on r/WritingPrompts on reddit that reads: "You're finally meeting your SO's parents. They are definitely demigods, and your SO is really trying to hide it, but the parents are so adorably awkward and out of touch that they keep slipping up."
> 
> So naturally, PJO fanfic. Told from the POV of the boyfriend of Percico's child for prompt-informed reasons. Further explanation in the end notes (even though I don't have to defend my self-indulgent fanfic endeavors dammit!!!)

Cal was always secretive about his parents. Going on a year of dating, I still hadn’t met them. It was the kind of thing that made me wonder if there was something wrong with _me_ , though my boyfriend assured me whenever it came up that it was strictly about them. I knew absolutely nothing: their names, what they looked like, what they did for a living. All a mystery.

Never mind the fact that not only had he met my parents, but had come on _vacation_ with us to Peru. He loved the trip and my parents loved _him_.

So you understand my confusion. The mystery built more and more when not a single member of his family was present when he graduated from college, or when we moved in together shortly after that. My parents, on the other hand, threatened to stay with us in our cozy New York City apartment, they thought it was so damn cute. With some minor convincing, they went back to their own home in the suburbs.

Listen. Reading his mail was _not_ something I usually did. I’m not a nosy person. But when a letter addressed to Cal from “Your Favorite Dad” showed up in our mailbox at our apartment, the curiosity that had been building essentially since the day we met got the best of me.

The letter read:

> _Cal,_
> 
> _Everything has been cleared up! All of the rebuilding and renovation is done. I know these past couple of months have been difficult, but your dad and I really miss you. This Saturday we’re re-instituting family dinner. This is your official summons! Come alone, or bring along someone (is there a someone? I remember you mentioning something a while back but since communication has been so risky…Well, we can talk about it when you’re here, anyway)._
> 
> _Also, this is super duper NOT optional. It’s been too long and we’re horrible fathers for not keeping better tabs on you while we got this disaster sorted out. I know you know how it goes, but we still feel bad. Just because you_ can _exist just fine without us doesn’t mean you should have to. Aunt A will probably be stopping by, and maybe a few other guests. In a month or so the tradition will be more concrete again so it’ll be a more consistent crowd. Alright, your father is telling me that I’ve written way too much, but how could I not?_
> 
> _Love,_
> 
> _Dad+Dad_

I closed the letter, my mind buzzing. Cal had two dads and never thought to mention that to me. And their house had been destroyed? In a fire, maybe? So many theories swam through my head as I tried to piece in the bit about the risk of communication.

And then Cal walked through the door.

“Hey, babe!” he called as he entered. “You here?”

“Yeah, I’m here,” I responded from the kitchen where I sat. I swiveled back and forth on my stool and considered how I was going to handle the situation. Obviously the letter had been opened. No way to hide that.

He came into the kitchen looking cute as ever, his dark hair pulled back into a tuft of a ponytail at the back of his head (he insisted that once it grew out it would look sexy) and his stormy gray eyes glinting in the afternoon sunlight.

“Whatcha got there?” he asked as he filled a glass of water for himself.

“Just a letter from your dads,” I said.

The counter was suddenly soaked as the sip of water he’d been taking erupted from his mouth.

“And you _read_ it?”

I sighed and threw a pile of paper towels onto the counter, then passed him the letter. His eyes tore it apart and he embarked on the shortest but most intense face journey I’d ever witnessed.

“Was having two dads the reason you kept your parents such a mystery?” I asked as he scanned the letter again. “Because. Well. You know. _We’re_ gay.”

He held up a hand to quiet me, then set the letter down. He stared at me for a second before registering what I said and snorted.

“Obviously it’s not _that_.”

“Then what?”

“Ash, I…It’s so _beyond_ complicated.”

I stood then and met his gaze. “You know what’s complicated? Knowing that my mom is already dropping hints about us eventually getting married, and then on the other hand having to learn the very basics about your parents by snooping through your mail. Sorry, by the way.”

He waved off the apology. “Doesn’t matter at this point. You had to find out at some point. Your mom wants us to get married?”

My face got hot. “Don’t change the subject!”

“I don’t know what to do.”

“Well, obviously we’re going to this dinner.”

His eyes widened. “Whoah, whoah, whoah. _We_?”

“You read the letter. Your attendance is non-negotiable, and your dad told you to bring a date if you have one. Which you do.”

“Asher, I want you to meet them. _Someday_. When things make a little bit more sense and you know more about them. But I can’t just throw you into the fray, it doesn’t work out well…” Cal trailed off, a wistful look in his eyes.

So maybe his dads had scared boyfriends away before. But how bad could they be if they raised someone like Cal? One dad seemed normal enough from his letter (though some of the points did raise questions, if not concern). Cal and I had been through plenty of shit. I doubted meeting his parents—regardless of how out-there they were—could do any damage to our relationship.

“What more do I have to know? Can’t you give me the crash course and update me more afterwards?”

He sighed. “You’re not backing down on this, are you?”

“No, I’m not. I don’t know anything so I can’t understand why you’re so worried, but if you think for a second that something could happen to _us_ as a result of this…”

“Come here,” he said and stretched his arms out. I scowled at him but stepped forward anyway and allowed him to hug me. “I’m sorry that this is all so confusing and dramatic. That’s sort of how things go with my dads. And I’m sorry that I’ve been so secretive about them. I didn’t realize until now how that must have felt for you.”

I wanted to punch him and kiss him. When he tried, he was so intuitive and caring. Sometimes it just took him a little while to get there. He kissed the top of my head and took a deep breath.

“Fine. We’ll go to dinner with my dads. I sincerely hope that it’ll just be us and them because it’s so last minute.”

“And your Aunt A, whoever that is.”

He grinned as he pulled away from the hug. “Yeah. I think you’ll like her.”

“She’s the sister of one of your dads?”

He laughs and shakes his head. “Sorry. No, not quite. She and my dad actually dated a long time ago. And she’s, uh…She’s my birth mother. I actually get my eyes from her. Almost everything else is courtesy of my dad.”

“Oh! It sounds…”

“Complicated? Yes. But we make it work.”

I smiled at him, suddenly nervous but bursting with excitement. “We’re really doing this.”

“Yep,” he said. “We’re really doing this.”

* * *

The house was incredible. From the outside, it wasn’t huge or extravagant, but it sat right on the beach and felt like it had been there for years and years, even though it had apparently just been rebuilt. Cal explained on the way there that his grandmother and his dad used to go there when his dad was younger, and it had been more like a shack back then. Some renovations and special care turned it into a cozy, seaside abode that made me all the more excited to meet the men who lived inside.

Two dads with a gay son? Even before meeting them I wanted to marry into a family like that. Plus, I knew my own parents would freak in the best way possible.

“You’re still sure about this?” he asked as he parked, his knuckles white on the steering wheel, as if he didn’t want to let go.

I held up the bottle in my possession. “We bought fancy wine.”

“We could just drink it ourselves.”

“I would have to kill us if we polished off a bottle this expensive for no good reason.”

“Fine,” he said, “fine. Just. Give me a second.”

He turned his head toward the water, the sun already starting to set in the opposite direction, shooting warm colors to collide with the cloudless blue.

“Alright. Let’s get this over with.”

* * *

As he knocked on the door, I was so sure that Cal was going to lose consciousness entirely. His usual tan glow had faded, his face pallid and his shoulders tense. I grabbed his hand and squeezed it to let him know that I was there.

The faded wooden door swung open and I thought I was seeing double. It was Cal, but about twenty years older, and with eyes as green and shining as the sea. He was just a slight bit shorter, but had the same tan complexion and dark hair. He was well-built and oozed weathered charm.

“Hey, dad,” Cal croaked. His father stood there for a moment and stared at him, and for one heartbeat, then two, I thought there was some kind of problem. Then, his face split into a goofy grin and he threw his arms around Cal’s shoulders. “ _OOF_ ,” Cal said on impact. I couldn’t help but smile.

“Gods, we missed you,” his father said as he pulled away. He then turned to me. “Aha! I knew it! Cal has always been so secretive about his boyfriends.” He stuck his hand out and I shook it. His fingers were calloused and worn like leather, but warm and firm. He smelled like the ocean. “So nice to meet you! I’m Percy.”

“Asher,” I said. “So nice to finally meet you!”

“Likewise. Well, come in! Dinner should be ready soon, and your Aunt A got caught up with her latest project but she’ll be stopping by a bit later.”

We stepped into the house together and Cal’s dad closed the door behind us. Cal’s hand found mine again and he latched onto it. He was shaking. I gave him a confused look. First impression of dad number one: high energy, but charming with a boyish sort of whimsy.

“Nico! Our prodigal son has returned! And he brought a _boy_!” Percy called up the stairs. “Sorry, a _man_ ,” he corrected. He shot me a wink and disappeared into the kitchen. I chuckled. Cal looked like he was swallowing hot coals.

“Sorry about that,” he muttered.

“I like him!” I whispered back as I looked around the entrance hall. It felt much bigger than it looked from the outside.

The sound of footsteps from upstairs caused Cal to jump, then release the firm grasp on my hand. His other father came down the stairs and his grip around my fingers loosened. This man was shorter than his husband. Strands of his black hair hung in front of his face, and his complexion was nearly white with olive undertones. His bone structure was beautiful and gave his face an air of casual pride, even despite the shadows under his eyes.

“Hey, kiddo,” he said as he pulled Cal into a more tame embrace. I could see the tension go out of Cal’s body as they hugged. Clearly, it was something about his other father that made him so nervous.

“And who’s this?”

I snapped back to reality and smiled as I stepped forward.

“Dad, this is my boyfriend, Asher.”

It was like shaking hands with a skeleton. His fingers were slender and thin and I worried that if I squeezed at all, his hand might just break.

“So nice to meet you,” he said. “I’m Nico. The di Angelo to the Jackson-di Angelo. I usually like to be the welcome wagon for new people, but it seems Percy beat me to it this time.”

“He sure did,” Cal muttered.

Nice sighed. “Cal, it’s been months since we saw you. Can we try to avoid any drama tonight?”

“Oh, I’m going to do everything I can to avoid drama. But _he’s_ the one who always—”

“I see we’ve all finally met!” Percy said as he came back into the room.

A hush fell between the four of us. Cal stared at the floor. Percy looked back and forth between his son and husband.

“We brought wine,” I said and displayed the bottle. Anything to break the tension.

“Incredible!” Percy said. “I can take that off your hands for now.” I handed him the bottle with a smile, trying desperately to ignore the black hole that was my boyfriend. His dads seemed great. Cal was the one sucking all the air out of the room.

“Would you just excuse us for a second?” I grabbed Cal’s arm and pulled him into the next room, briefly shocked at the size of the sitting room. A fire crackled in an ornate stone fireplace and a jumble of mismatched furniture was arranged in a circular fashion. While it might have given an interior designer a migraine, it looked like an excellent entertaining space.

Among the seats I noticed a bench that looked like it came from some kind of dining hall, something that resembled a fisherman’s chair,a wooden rocker, and an old kitchen stool. Just by looking at them I could tell they had stories.

“What the fuck is the problem?” I asked as I crossed my arms. “They both seem very sweet, and you’re being a brat.”

Cal scoffed. “I am _not_!”

“You absolutely are. And it’s making everybody uncomfortable.”

“Dad’s too oblivious to read the vibes.”

I figured he was talking about Percy. I also figured he was incorrect, but I kept my mouth shut about that. “Well, _I’m_ uncomfortable. And it’s not because of anything your dads have done. I’m going to be an adult and see if there’s anything I can help with in the kitchen.”

I knew I was being hard on Cal. There were a lot of layers that I didn’t understand, and I was the one who pushed him to bring me in the first place. But the fact was, we were there. And I was raised to be polite and helpful when somebody else was gracious enough to let me into their home. Cal could join me or not.

* * *

“Mister Jackson, this roast is incredible,” I said. I tried to be classy as I ate, but the food was so tantalizing that I had a hard time stopping to breathe between bites.

“Thank you!” he beamed at me from the other side of the table. “And really, just call me Percy. Mister Jackson makes me sound old.”

“You are,” his husband said.

“I _will_ destroy you,” Percy responded. But there was nothing threatening in his voice. Just warmth. Fondness.

“Where did you get such an incredible cut of meat?” I asked. It was unusually red, but not due to rawness. It was cooked to perfection, so the crimson hue intrigued me that much more.

His eyes lit up and he set his fork down. “So, there’s a ranch out in Texas that I visited when I was much younger. Nico’s been, too. He stayed there for a short period, actually. Anyway, there was a change of management way back when and I did the new owner a favor, so we’re on good terms now. He breeds these cows that—”

Cal cleared his throat. “I’m _sure_ Ash doesn’t need to hear all of the details.” He looked to Nico for assistance.

“I think Cal might have a point, hon.”

Interesting. _Something_ had happened there. A twinge of sadness sat on my chest, because I actually was interested to hear the rest of Percy’s story.

“So what do the two of you do for a living?” I asked. Cal was making no attempt to participate in the conversation. He pushed roasted potatoes around on his plate, stabbing one every so often.

His dads exchanged a look.

“Well,” Nico said, “it’s not the most glamorous career, but I’m a mortician.”

There was a sort of strain in his voice. Not like he was lying, but like he wasn’t telling the whole truth. Still, the answer didn’t really shock me.

“That’s really interesting!” I said.

“It is!” said Nico.

“It is?” said Cal.

I kicked Cal underneath the dining room table. “What exactly does that entail?”

Nico hesitated. “Well, it might not be the best topic for the dinner table.”

“Oh, of course, sorry.”

He smiled. “No apology needed. People are rarely interested. Most think it’s morbid.”

I shrugged. “Someone’s gotta do it.”

“Exactly!”

I glanced at Percy, who was watching his husband with so much adoration in his eyes that it made my heart hurt.

“What about you, Percy?” I asked, surprisingly comfortable using his first name.

“I’m…a personal trainer!”

That made sense, too. He was in great shape, and he had just the right pep and encouraging attitude for that line of work. The hesitation was less logical.

“Do you work at a gym nearby?”

Another brief look passed between him and Nico. “Yeah, something like that,” he said with a flashy grin.

A sort of shimmering noise started to issue from the kitchen. I turned over my shoulder to see the source and was shocked to see waves of colors washing over the walls in the next room.

“That’s the phone,” Percy said, as if that was an adequate explanation. “I’m sorry, I’ll be right back.” He quickly wiped his mouth and darted into the kitchen. The noise and lights stopped and another voice—a woman—replaced them. I couldn’t tell what she was saying, but it would have been rude to eavesdrop anyway, so I turned my attention back to dinner.

“So, Cal was telling me that you recently had to have some renovations done on the house?”

Nico nodded and pushed his empty plate away. He hadn’t eaten much.

“There was an accident a little while back. Nobody got hurt, thank the gods, but there was a lot of damage.”

Interesting. I thought maybe I’d heard wrong when Percy said “gods” earlier, but that’s definitely what Nico said, too. What religion were they, then?

“Cal’s Aunt actually helped with all of the reconstruction. She’s an architect and a really close friend, so the house ended up much better than it was before, really. At least I think so. Percy feels like it’s lost some of its original charm, but I say we should make some charm of our own.”

“I agree! Is there a story behind the sitting room?” I heard charm and was immediately reminded of the mismatched couches and chairs.

“Hmm? Oh, you mean all of the strange furniture,” he said, rolling his eyes but smiling anyway. “That’s also Percy’s doing. The aesthetic has never really been a worry to him. All of the chairs and couches come from different places that are important to him. His old apartment in the city, a couple of camps that we attended as kids, Olymp—uh…”

Cal almost choked on a piece of broccoli. I hadn’t quite caught the last part, but before I could ask for clarification Percy returned to the table. He looked disappointed.

“That was Annabeth. She’s stuck on site and won’t be able to make it.”

“Oh, that’s such a shame. I know she was looking forward to seeing Cal.”

“We’ll just have to come back!” I said. I grimaced internally as soon as the words left my mouth. It wasn’t my style to invite myself anywhere, but there was something so magnetic about Cal’s family and their home.I tried to stop my face from growing hot, but it was too late.

“That’s a great idea!” Percy said, grinning. My embarrassment faded. “It’s not too far from where you are in the city. Once weekly dinner is more consistent I’m hoping we can see you more, Cal. And Asher, you’re _always_ welcome here. With or without our broody son.”

“I’m not broody.”

“Your potatoes think otherwise.” Percy’s voice was light, but it sounded almost like a challenge.

Cal just grunted and went back to stabbing his spuds.

“The _point_ is,” Nico said, “we’d love for you to come back, presuming we haven’t scared you away.”

I laughed. “Not at all. You’ve been nothing but hospitable. Plus, if the food is always this good you’re going to have to beg me to stay away.”

Percy and Nico both laughed, too. Then Percy shot out of his seat.

“Cake! There’s cake! I’ll be right back.” He ran into the kitchen and must have collided with something because there was a crash, an “OW!” and then, “I’m alright!”

Nico stood and shook his head, smiling. He collected our plates and kissed Cal at the crown of his head as he passed his son, then went into the kitchen himself.

“Can you at least _try_?” I whispered. “I feel like it’s just me and your dads talking here.”

“Yeah, clearly you don’t need me. You want to be their son instead?”

I frowned at him. “What the hell is that even supposed to mean? Neither of them seems to have any problems with you, so the fact that you’re acting like this…” I sighed. Frustration was starting to build in my chest, but the last thing I wanted was a fight. “The man I’m in love with? You’re not him right now. And it makes me sad.”

He looked at me, all the resentment gone and replaced by a strange sadness.

“I hope you like vanilla!” Percy said as he came back into the dining room, the cake held in front of him. It looked delicious, but the thing that struck me most about it was that it was _blue_.

The frosting was a beautiful teal, with waves piped onto the sides in white and varying azure shades.

“Wow,” I breathed. It almost looked like the waves were really moving as Percy cut into it, revealing that the cake itself was a deep blue. “Why all the blue?”

Percy looked at me for a second, his expression defensive for a split second. My whole body tingled, then Nico laid a hand on Percy’s elbow and he relaxed.

“It’s just sort of a family tradition. Blue foods. Cal hasn’t told you about it?” Percy asked.

I shook my head and looked at Cal, whose face was almost as red as the cake was blue. Just when I thought there was going to be another _moment_ , Percy sighed and handed Cal a plate with a big piece on it. Nico squeezed Percy’s shoulder and sat down. He had the bottle of wine in his hands.

“We forgot to have this with dinner! Not sure how well it’ll pair with cake, but far be it from me to turn down nice wine.”

He popped the cork out while Percy continued to dole out slices of blue cake.

“Oh, we don’t have glasses. Be right back.” He kissed Percy on the cheek as he passed and returned to the kitchen.

Not paying attention, Percy went to set down a plate in Nico’s place. His forearm hit the top of the bottle, which had been left on the table, and suddenly red wine was gushing all over the white tablecloth.

“Ah, shit,” he said, not sounding too worried.

“Dad! Are you serious?” Cal said, jumping up from his seat to avoid the oncoming flood.

“Don’t worry, I got it covered.”

“Wait, Percy, don’t—!” came Nico’s voice from the kitchen doorway.

In the split second that I looked between Nico and back to Percy, the wine spill disappeared completely and the bottle was righted, full again. I blinked and looked at it.

“You’re fucking kidding me,” Cal said, his voice quiet but icy. “You see, Dad? _This_ is why I don’t bring people around. Because you can’t help yourself.”

“Cal,” Nico started, but he stormed out of the dining room. He let out a low hum of frustration as he glanced at Percy.

“Um…oops?” Percy looked at me, his eyes full of worry.

I looked at the table again, trying to find any trace of red liquid in the fibers of the cloth, but was only met with spotless white. I hadn’t imagined the spill, because everybody else reacted to it. So how had all of the wine ended up back in the bottle?

Nico sighed as he came back around to his side of the table. “Asher, how long have you and Cal been together, again?” he asked.

I looked at him, not registering the question for a second, because what did that have to do with anything?

“A-about a year now. It’ll be a year at the end of this month. What just—?”

“We have to tell him, don’t we?” Percy asked. It was clear that he was upset with himself, but I couldn’t understand why.

“I think we do. He’s not some clueless kid.”

“That usually makes it harder, though.”

I wanted to scream that I was still in the room, but they both seemed to remember that at the same time. Both men looked gaunt as they sat in unison. Percy folded his hands and Nico laid one of his own on top.

“Asher,” Percy started, looking to his husband for support. “How much do you know about the old Greek gods?”

**Author's Note:**

> Ok. So. Here's the thing.
> 
> I just read The Blood of Olympus for the first time. Which is??? Insane?? Because three years ago I read all 5 PJO books and then the first 4 HoO and simply never got around to read the last one. But a fun thing is that I am in the throes of planning my first ever novel which is inspired pretty heavily by series(es? How do I plural this damn word?) like PJO (and Harry Potter/A:tLA/etc because these are just things I grew up with and loved as a child) so I spent the last couple of weeks making my way through all 10 books again for further inspiration and also to work out some do's and don't's, blah blah blah.
> 
> [My final thoughts: Mark of Athena and House of Hades are works of art and then Blood of Olympus was disappointing. It should've been two books or at least have been longer; way too much was crammed in there, and with the Nico/Reyna side quest (which I LOVED) it all just felt very rushed.]
> 
> Anyway all of my residual feelings that spawned from the open-endedness of it all resulted in. This. I have no idea if it's gonna go anywhere or if it's just a cute little oneshot but I already feel semi-attached to these OCs so who knows!! I don't have a single idea for where the plot goes after this. Suggestions? Comments? Concerns? I'd love to hear them all.
> 
> Also, finally, I know that this is a PJO fic and I'm using my Harry Potter pseud, but...I'm just so attached to her and my default pseud is super out of date. Again, I know I don't have to explain myself, but I think I'm stalling because I feel nervous about posting in this fandom again after so long ah idk why!!!!! Especially since my writing has improved so much since my first little series of Percico oneshots from like 3 years ago!! Alright, I'm done now. Please enjoy :) <3


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